Celtic mythology Celtic mythology is the body of myths belonging to the Celtic peoples.Cunliffe, Barry, (1997) ''The Ancient Celts''. Oxford, Oxford University Press , pp. 183 (religion), 202, 204–8. Like other Iron Age Europeans, Celtic peoples followed ...

, Carman (Carmán) or Carmun was a warrior and sorceress from

Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

who tried to invade

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

in the days of the

Tuatha Dé Danann The Tuatha Dé Danann (, meaning "the folk of the goddess Danu"), also known by the earlier name Tuath Dé ("tribe of the gods"), are a supernatural race in Irish mythology. Many of them are thought to represent deities of pre-Christian Gaelic ...

, along with her three sons, Dub ("darkness"), Dother ("evil") and Dian ("violence"). She used her magical powers to destroy all the fruit of Ireland. Four of the Tuatha Dé Danann, Crichinbel, Lug,

Bé Chuille Bé Chuille, also known as Becuille and Bé Chuma, is the daughter of Flidais and one of the Tuatha Dé Danann in Irish mythology. In a tale from the Metrical Dindshenchas, she is a good sorceress who joins three other of the Tuatha Dé to defea ...

and Aoi, challenged Carman and her sons. The sons were forced to leave Ireland, and Carman was imprisoned. She died of longing and was buried in

Wexford Wexford ( ; archaic Yola dialect, Yola: ''Weiseforthe'') is the county town of County Wexford, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Wexford lies on the south side of Wexford Harbour, the estuary of the River Slaney near the southeastern corner of the ...

among oak trees. Her grave was dug by

Bres In Irish mythology, Bres (or Bress) was a king of the Tuatha Dé Danann. He is often referred to by the name Eochaid / Eochu Bres. He was an unpopular king, and favoured his Fomorians, Fomorian kin. Name ''Eochu Bres'' has been translated as " ...

. The place she was buried was called Carman after her, and the Tuatha Dé Danann are said to have instituted an

Óenach An aonach or óenach was an ancient Irish public national assembly called upon the death of a king, queen, or notable sage or warrior as part of ancestor worship practices. As well as the entertainment, the óenach was an occasion on which kings ...

Carmán, or Festival of Carmán. Celtic historian

Peter Berresford Ellis Peter Berresford Ellis (born 10 March 1943) is a British historian, literary biographer, and novelist who has published over 98 books to date either under his own name or his pseudonyms Peter Tremayne and Peter MacAlan. He has also published 10 ...

describes her as "a goddess who came to Ireland from Athens with her three ferocious sons – Calma (Valiant), Dubh (Black) and Olc (Evil). They laid Ireland to waste but were eventually overcome by the Tuatha Dé Danann. Carmán died of grief and it is recorded that death 'came upon her in an ungentle shape'. She was subsequently remembered in

Leinster Leinster ( ; or ) is one of the four provinces of Ireland, in the southeast of Ireland. The modern province comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Meath, Leinster and Osraige, which existed during Gaelic Ireland. Following the 12th-century ...

by a Festival of Carmán held at Lughnasad, 1 August." Her story is told in a poem of the

Metrical Dindshenchas ''Dindsenchas'' or ''Dindshenchas'' (modern spellings: ''Dinnseanchas'' or ''Dinnsheanchas'' or ''Dınnṡeanċas''), meaning "lore of places" (the modern Irish word ''dinnseanchas'' means "topography"), is a class of onomastic text in early Iri ...

, which states that she died in

600 BCE The year 600 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. In the Roman Empire, it was known as year 154 ''Ab urbe condita''. The denomination 600 BC for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar ...

Given name

* Carman Barnes (1912–1980), American novelist * Carman George Blough (1895–1981), American accountant * Carman Lapointe (born 1951), Canadian diplomat *

Carman Lee Carman Lee Yeuk-tung (born 16 August 1966) is a Hong Kong actress who has appeared in films such as '' The Wicked City'' (1992), '' Forbidden City Cop'' (1996), the North American ''Knock Off'' (1998) with Jean-Claude Van Damme and '' The Untam ...

(born 1966), Hong Kong actress *

Carman Maxwell Carman Griffin Maxwell (December 27, 1902 – September 22, 1987) was an American animator and voice actor. Maxwell was born in Siloam Springs, Arkansas, and later moved to Kansas City, Missouri. He began his career with Walt Disney at the Laug ...

(1902–1987), American animator * Carman McClelland (1951–2022), Canadian politician *

Carman Miller Carman Irwin Miller (born 1940) is a military historian and former Dean of Arts at McGill University in Montreal. Miller was born in Moser River, Nova Scotia, the son of Marie Evangeline and Irwin Charles Miller. He received a Bachelor of Arts ...

(born 1940), Canadian military historian * Carman A. Newcomb (1830–1902), American politician * Carman Newsome (1912–1974), American actor *

Carmelo Domenic Licciardello Carmelo Domenic Licciardello (January 19, 1956 – February 16, 2021), known professionally as Carman, was an American contemporary Christian music singer, rapper, songwriter, television host, and evangelist. He was nominated for four Grammys, ...

known as

Carman In Celtic mythology, Carman (Carmán) or Carmun was a warrior and sorceress from Athens who tried to invade Ireland in the days of the Tuatha Dé Danann, along with her three sons, Dub ("darkness"), Dother ("evil") and Dian ("violence"). She use ...

(1956–2021), American singer *

John Carman Ramsden John Carman Ramsden was a Canadian politician from Ontario. He represented Toronto Southwest in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario The Legislative Assembly of Ontario (OLA; ) is the legislative chamber of the Canadian province of Ontario ...

, Canadian politician

References

External links

*''The Metrical Dindshenchas'', edited and translated by Edward J. Gwynn, a
CELT
** Volume 3, poem 1 Carmun

an

Characters in Irish mythology Women in mythology Feminine given names {{Celt-myth-stub